Players learning to think on feet

BANGALORE: A clever indirect variation in a penalty corner, conceived and executed by midfielder Sardar Singh, was one of the highlights on the final day of the hockey selection trials at the Sports Authority of India, South Centre on Sunday.

Sardar, one of the most hardworking players in the camp who has caught the attention of chief coach Michael Nobbs, sent a stiff backhander past the goalkeeper after working through an intricate pattern that he had been perfecting for the past few days. Sardar’s moment came much before the team practised the one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper. The new concept, which will replace the staid penalty stroke competition during the tiebreaker , will again have the players thinking on their feet.

These ideas will obviously be employed at the Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, China in September with some success but for Nobbs, who is a great votary of percentages, Sardar’s variation is only the first step the players have taken towards independent thinking. As he said, more such ideas would naturally mean a richer variety and increased number of options during penalty corners.

Senior selector Balbir Singh (Services) too was impressed with the penalty corner variations as well as the dragflicks. The forwardline was also resourceful in its ways, he felt. Among the downsides were the standard of goalkeeping, the defence and fitness

After two sessions of trials which began at 7am, the selectors , Nobbs and Hockey India officials spent a good part of the day discussing the team. According to Nobbs, both the 18-member squad to Ordos and the 30-member core group that he wants to be in charge of, were finalised. The team is likely to be announced by Tuesday.